Boys on the Farm

This week we've had the pleasure of spending some time with 2 of our grandsons, ages 7 and 9. In addition to playing in water on these hot days, they spent some time working on puzzles. I was surprised at how well they did. They were pretty proud when they got the puzzles together.






Since we planned to spend a day at the living history museum we got them all fixed up with appropriate costumes. They especially liked the hats they borrowed from Uncle Ron.



They rode on the train...



panned for gold...



tried out handcarts...



rode ponies...



They discovered it could be fun to help Grandpa work in the woodwright shop on their special projects.



They played on the shave horse...


and practiced using a spoke shave...



It was great to spend some time with the boys...and I hope they enjoyed it as well.

Pioneer Day

Today was Pioneer Day..a big deal in Utah. We celebrated by volunteering at the local living history museum. There were lots of activities for families, and as it was hot, they turned on the big sprinkles for the kids to play in.

Here are some of the activities:

We finally finished the rug we have been weaving. We started from the top and the bottom and met in the middle so the the stripes would be symmetric and fairly even.



Once the weaving was done, Jana took it off the loom and added fringe to the ends.


Once it was finished, it went into the cabin where it looks lovely on the floor, not to mention feels soft on tired feet. It brightens up the entire room.



While we were busy with that, lots of other activities were going on:

The pie eating contest was popular.




There were pony rides for the little children.




The adults enjoyed visiting.



Kids had fun learning to use a lasso and playing in the water on a hot summer day.








Some visitors helped us with our firewood supply by sawing up wood with the 2 man saw.





Many visitors visited the half dugout and the homestead cabin to see how pioneer ancestors lived.






Down by the creek we had a full complement of gold panners trying to make their fortune.



Pioneer games, such as Graces, were popular.




Dinner was cooked over the fire.



Pioneer kids stayed nearby while their parents visited.



Some visitors wanted to see what it was like to pull a handcart.



Spinning is always popular with the tourists.



The woodwright shop was also popular with the tourists...because there are lots of interesting things to see there, but also because it has an air conditioner! The woodwrights and their apprentices were busy making and filling an order for new tomahawk handles for the mountain men. While they were working, the tourists were having fun posing for pictures in the coffin.















The millinery shop next door was also busy today.




In the meantime, the young boys were kept busy outside splitting logs.




Altogether, it made for a fun way to celebrate the 24th!

pioneer rugmaking

When we work at the local living history museum, we have various projects we work on. This summer I've been spending some time with this rug loom. The rug we are working on is done with a double twist which makes it nice and thick.

It is really not as crooked as the picture makes it look but was taken at an awkward angle. We should be able to finish it pretty soon. Then it will go on the floor of a little log cabin.

The whole thing is done from rags torn into long strips...even the warp (vertical). You can see some of the warp showing in the middle where the rug is not yet finished. The loom is nothing more than a rectangular frame with pegs on top and bottom where the warp is attached. It is amazing how much fabric such a rug can require to make!



It's been pretty hot volunteering there lately in full pioneer regalia...long dress, multiple petticoats, etc, so we are looking forward this coming Saturday to participating there in the huge water party they plan to have there to celebrate the state holiday.

Bountiful Baskets

Recently Jana and I have been getting produce from Bountiful Baskets. It is a food co-op. For $15 per week, you can pick up a basket of stuff on Saturday morning. It is guaranteed to have 6 fruits and 6 vegetables, though we never know ahead of time what is going to be in there. We share a basket as there is too much stuff in there for just 2 people for a week. This was what was in the basket last time we got one. It's almost like Christmas...going out Saturday morning to see what treasures we'll get to bring home.

The last 2 baskets have had brussels sprouts in them. Last time there were extra brussels sprouts, so they said anyone who wanted more could take a handful. One lady stopped on her way past and got a big handful. Her son, behind her, said, "Nooooooooooooo!"

If I can't use all my stuff in a week, sometimes I freeze it if it is something that will freeze ok.

Good Deal-pt. 2

A few weeks ago, we traded for this picture. Roger finally had a few spare minutes to make a frame for it. We aren't good at matting, so we just settled for the wood frame. We found an old, gray, weathered board that used to be part of an old barn. It matched the fence and the clothes line post in the picture. That is what he used to make the frame. It's a rustic picture, so now it has a rustic frame to go with it.

Rumors

What better place to hear rumors than a neighborhood get-together? To celebrate the 5th of July, there was a neighborhood party in the cul-de-sac at the end of the road. Several grills were set up for the cooking of whatever meat a person brought. Tables were provided for salads and desserts.

We commented on something that happened Sunday before last. We hadn't been home from church long, when we saw a tractor out on the property behind us that used to be ours. I thought he was mowing....but also thought he was doing a terrible job. The cool, wet Spring had really helped the weeds grow tall and thick. One of our neighbors complained to us that we needed to cut them down, until we told him we no longer owned that lot and hadn't for over a year.

Anyway, we went out to make sure our hose was not out in that lot at all as we didn't want it mowed, but in talking to the fellow running the tractor, he pointed out that he hadn't been hired to mow, but rather just take his bucket around the lot to pick up any large rocks, and in so doing, he mashed down the tall weeds. Since it is no longer rainy, they have stayed down.

The next day a 5th wheel trailer appeared in the lot, just a few feet away from ours. We haven't seen any people around it, but at the party, one of the neighbors said she had talked to a lady who said they are soon planning to start building on that lot. We've seen no sign of building so far, but we'll keep our eyes open.

At this point, I'd not mind someone building there I think. It has become a home for grasshoppers, who then love to come and snack on our garden.